LOHAGARH & THE REVOLT OF 1857
Lohagarh is a forgotten yet vital site of the Revolt of 1857. It was here that a pitched battle was fought between soldiers of the British East India Company and the Indian revolutionaries, and it is because of the bravery of the latter that Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi was able to pass through and get to Kalpi.
Lohagarh Fort, about 89 km north of Jhansi, was built as a military garrison by the Rajas of Samthar in the late 18th century. At the time of the Revolt of 1857, the princely state was ruled by the Regent Rani Lallan Ju. As the principalities around it rose in revolt against the British East India Company, the state of Samthar adopted a position of strict neutrality. British civilians fleeing the Revolt were given refuge at Samthar Fort.
On 23rd March 1858, British forces under General Hugh Rose attacked Jhansi and by 2nd April, the city’s walls had been breached. Rani Laxmibai and her entourage left Jhansi for Kalpi to the north, passing through territory of the Samthar kingdom. Located on her route was the small Lohagarh Fort, then under the charge of a Pathan Subedar Rajjab
Khan.
Samthar’s Rani Lallan Ju instructed Rajjab Khan to help Rani Laxmibai and her entourage escape. As the Rani passed through Lohagarh on 4th April 1858, with British forces in hot pursuit, even the villagers of the region staged a resistance. It is estimated that more than 500 Lohagarh residents, including Rajjab Khan, died fighting so that the Rani could escape.
Distance from Shatam Jeeva
94.4 km
